turnsole

[ turn-sohl ]

noun
  1. any of several plants regarded as turning with the movement of the sun.

  1. a European plant, Chrozophora tinctoria, of the spurge family, yielding a purple dye.

  2. the purple dye prepared from this plant; litmus.

Origin of turnsole

1
1325–75; Middle English turnesole<Middle French tournesol the dye <Italian tornasole the plant, literally, (it) turns (toward the) sun, on the model of Greek hēliotrópionheliotrope

Words Nearby turnsole

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How to use turnsole in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for turnsole

turnsole

/ (ˈtɜːnˌsəʊl) /


noun
  1. any of various plants having flowers that are said to turn towards the sun

  2. a euphorbiaceous plant, Croton tinctoria, of the Mediterranean region that yields a purple dye

  1. the dye extracted from this plant

Origin of turnsole

1
C14: from Old French tournesole, from Old Italian tornasole, from tornare to turn + sole sun, from Latin sōl sun

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